Warriors: The Sister Clans Book 1
by Binkatong
Summary: Follow the adventures of an oversized apprentice named Lionpaw, a Twoleg loving apprentice named Berrypaw and a music loving Twoleg named Natalie in this kind of epic tale. This is my first fanfic, so please R&R.
1. Intro

Long ago, after the four clans: ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan and WindClan, moved to the lake territory because the Twolegs had destroyed their home. But a few cats from each clan received a message from StarClan that there was hope for their old home. These cats were Spiderfur, Fernpaw and Graywing from ThunderClan; Rabbitfoot, Littletail and Featherpelt from RiverClan; Swiftpoppy, Venomkit and Squirreltail from ShadowClan; and Goldfur, Brambleheart and Mouseface from WindClan. They traveled miles back to their own homes to discover that everything was exactly how it was when the other cats had lived there, except for some new Twoleg paths and the fact that the trees at Fourtrees were smaller. They stayed there and became the sister clans of the original four clans. Spiderfur became Spiderstar; Rabbitfoot became Rabbitstar; Swiftpoppy became Swiftstar; and Goldfur became Goldstar. These clans are fairly new, and have always been smaller than the original clans. They have managed to keep in contact with their original clan, but not very well. Lately they have not been able to make contact at all. Venomkit is now Venomstar, leader of the forest ShadowClan. They have lived in peace so far, but all that is about to change...

(Note: A few w's in a row (Like this: wwwwww) means that there is a scene change.)


	2. Chapter 1

"Hello," A large tabby tom walked into the almost deserted den, followed by a medium sized orange she-cat and a young black tom.

Grassear lifted his head from his brown paws. "So you're back from the patrol?" He yawned.

"Yes," The tom replied. Grassear put his chin down to the ground to think. Being a deputy was a lot harder than he thought it would be. You have to order everyone around, come up with jobs, keep up with current events, and all that boring stuff. You almost never get to go do anything like hunting; it's just blah blah blah!

"Uh, Firetail, you go train Coalpaw." He ordered.

"But we already did that today!" The apprentice piped up.

"More training couldn't hurt." Grassear mewed. "And I suggest you get a drink while you're at it. You know, with the Greenleaf heat and all." With that, the two cats trotted out of the den. Grassear looked at the remaining cat.

"What should I do, Grassear?" He asked.

"Uh, how about we go hunting?" Grassear suggested. "Just the two of us. How about it, Brackenfoot?"

"Whatever you say." Brackenfoot headed for the exit. He turned his head. "Can we grab some mice first?"

"Sure." Grassear followed him out of the exit.

wwwwww

Brackenfoot covered the mouse he had just caught with leaves and dirt. Looking up, he saw Grassear sniffing the forest floor. Grassear started batting at his ear, which was in shreds. It had been clawed when he was attacked by a badger when he was only an apprentice. That was a telltale sign that he was nervous.

"What's wrong, Grassear?" He asked.

"I smell cat." He replied warily. "But it's not ThunderClan."

"What!?!" Brackenfoot took a few steppes back. "We must report this to Brightstar. What clan is it?"

Grassear took a few more sniffs. "I don't think it is another clan. But it doesn't smell like rouges." Brackenfoot opened his mouth to taste the air. Grassear was right. He hadn't smelled anything like that before. Not another clan, not a rogue, definitely not a Twoleg, but it was definitely cat. He took a few steppes towards the smell. Then, instinctively, he ran off in the direction of the scent.

"Wait up!" Grassear sprinted after him.

wwwwww

Soon they had arrived at the Sunningrocks. Brackenfoot tasted the air again. "The smell is fresh. It must be somewhere around here." Grassear poked his nose into a random gap in the rocks and sniffed. The smell was strong here. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw a small fuzzy ball. Grabbing it gently between his teeth and pulled it out. The kit started flailing around as Brackenfoot moved closer.

"Should we keep him?" Brackenfoot asked. Grassear was too stunned to speak. He sniffed it again, hoping to find some sort of trace of a clan. There was only a bit of Twoleg scent, but that only showed that it had been in Twolegplace at some point.

"Yes," Grassear decided. "Let's get back to camp. Brightstar will decide if we should keep it." He picked up the little cat with his teeth and slowly walked off, Brackenfoot right beside him.

wwwwww

Brackenfoot stopped at the entrance to the camp.

"What's wrong?" Grassear asked, putting down the kit.

"Uh, you should lick the dirt off of it before we show it the Brightstar," He recommended. "I have to go do something in camp." He ran off into camp before Grassear could even reply. He headed strait past the warriors den and the leaders den to the nursery. Inside, a beautiful white she-cat lay sobbing into her paws. Brackenfoot stared in surprise at his mate's expression of grief.

"Their dead!" She wailed. "Their all dead! My kits!"

"WHAT!?!" Brackenfoot took a step back. Then she padded over and press against her side for comfort. A tear ran down his cheek. "Don't worry, Willowfire," he sobbed, trying to comfort her. "Everything will be all right."

He sorrowfully left the queens side and headed for the clearing, his head hanging low.

wwwwww

Grassear padded into the clearing, with Brackenfoot by his side and the kit dangling from his mouth. Everyone stared at him, trying to catch a glimpse at what the fuzzy ball was. As they ran over to the highrocks, he passed the kit to Brackenfoot and shouted into the leaders den, "Permeation to enter?"

"Permeation granted." A calm voice came from the moss covered doorway to the leaders den. Grassear gave Brackenfoot a signal to stay outside and padded in. The golden she-cat's head twisted over to him, and she rolled onto her back. "What is it, Grassear? Need help with the hectic responsibilities of being a deputy?"

"No, this is actually important." He replied. Brightstar rolled onto her belly and stood up.

"I'm all ears." Brightstar said.

"Brackenfoot and I went out to hunt. We smelled something and followed the scent to Sunningrocks. Soon we found a small kit in a gap between the rocks." Grassear flicked his tail. On queue, Brackenfoot padded in with the golden kit with black stripes. "This is the one we found. I wanted to ask if we could keep it."

Brightstar tilted her head in interest. "Of what clan does it smell?"

"None." Brackenfoot had put down the kit to reply. "Not a loner or kittypet either."

"Hmmm..." Brightstar lay down to think. "Interesting. I vote we keep it."

"Same with us!" They yelled. The loud noise made the kit start to flail around and wail.

"Shush. Not so loud." Brightstar whispered. "Okay, it's official. Welcome to the clan, Lionkit." She licked it on the head, lifting it off the ground slightly.


	3. Chapter 2

Lionkit woke up to a lick on the head. Looking up dreamily, she saw her mom's white face looking down at her affectionately. "Wake up," She whispered. Lionpaw blinked a few times to get used to the light. "Today's the day."

"Really!?!" That woke Lionkit up. She scrambled to her feet. She was bigger than her mother, Moonface. Dryclaw, the medicine cat, said that she had a condition that made her grow faster than most cats. "Oh boy! I'm going to be Lionpaw! This is so exciting!" She sprinted out the door.

Willowfire shook her head. "Kits will be kits."

Lionkit tumbled into a snow drift that was in front of the nursery. It was mid leaf-bare, and snow piled high all over the camp. She looked longingly at the apprentice den. Soon she would sleep there. She looked up at the Highrock. Brightstar had just climbed up there. Then she made the familiar call.

"Will all cats old enough to catch their own pray please report to the Highrock for a clan meeting." Lionkit mouthed the words of the call. She knew these words by heart. Someday she would be clan leader and call the clan to meetings.

"Lionstar." She said to herself, "now that's a name."

A group of warriors and apprentices gathered under the Highrock to see what Brightstar had to say. "Cats of ThunderClan." She began, "We have yet another kit who has reached the age of six moons. Lionkit." Lionkit could hardly believe it. She stood there motionless for a second, and then sprinted up enthusiastically to the Highrock. Jumping up and down with excitement, she looked more like a hyperactive senior warrior about to become leader because of her size.

"By naming apprentices, we show that ThunderClan will survive and remain strong." Brightstar went on. She looked at Lionkit. "Lionkit, from now on you will be known as Lionpaw."

"Lionpaw! Lionpaw!" The crowd chanted her new name. Lionpaw smiled and stood proud.

"Grassear, you are ready for a new apprentice since your old one became a warrior." She looked at the dark brown tabby in the audience. "You will be Lionpaw's mentor." Grassear padded onto the Highrock. Lionpaw looked down at him and they touched noses. It looked more like Grassear was the apprentice.

"Lionpaw! Lionpaw! Lionpaw..."

wwwwww

"Lionpaw! Lionpaw! Wake up, Lionpaw!" Lionpaw blinked a few times and woke up. She was surrounded by ferns and other sleeping cats. This wasn't the nursery. She was in the apprentice den! _So it wasn't a dream, _she thought. Over her was a small black apprentice with a white chin and jaw. "I don't think we've met. I'm Berrypaw."

Lionpaw slowly pushed herself up. "Is it time for training already?" She yawned.

"Yep." Berrypaw mewed. "You have to get up early if you want to pack in enough training for you to be a warrior sometime in your life." Berrypaw scampered out of the den, Lionpaw close behind. In the center of the clearing, Grassear and Brackenfoot waited for their apprentices. Berrypaw looked at Lionpaw in awe. "Your mentor is the clan deputy!"

"Yep, isn't it cool?" Lionpaw mewed excitedly.

"Welcome young apprentices." Grassear said coolly. He had grown a lot, and was much more mature now. "It's time for your first training session. Come on, we're going to the sandy hallow."

wwwwww

"Today we will learn the front paw blow." Brackenfoot started. Lionpaw and Berrypaw sat there, listening intently. "Remember to keep your claws sheathed. Watch me." He and Grassear dropped into battle positions. Brackenfoot first made a light blow to Grassear's nose. "Okay, Berrypaw. Try it on me."

Berrypaw slowly dropped down into a battle pose. Very carefully, he batted at Brackenfoot's nose.

"Okay, Lionpaw." Grassear stood up. "Your turn." Lionpaw crouched down and slowly inched forward until she was in range. Instinctively, instead of batting at Grassear's nose, she aimed a blow directly at his legs, making him rear up. Lionpaw then slid between his two back legs and jumped on his back. Claws still sheathed, she pinned him to the ground with only her body weight. Then she jumped off and padded over to Berrypaw.

"What did you do?" Brackenfoot exclaimed. "I've never seen anything like that before! How did you do it?"

"Uh, actually," Lionpaw tried to find the right words. "I don't know how I did it. It just came to me."

"Lionpaw," Grassear walked over. "I think you have some real potential. Now you teach us that technique!"


	4. Chapter 3

"You smell that?" Brackenfoot asked. Berrypaw sniffed the Sunningrocks a few more times.

"RiverClan." Berrypaw answered. She sniffed again. "And it's fresh." Just then, Lionpaw leaped out of a bush and grabbed a vole that was a few mouse lengths away from Berrypaw's tail.

"Gah!" Berrypaw fell over. "What was that for? And where's Grassear?"

"Uh, sorry." Lionpaw apologized. She pushed the vole to the side. "Grassear's hunting higher up the river." She tasted the air. "Do you smell something?"

A bush on their side of the river began to shake. They twisted around. A large, brown spotted cat jumped out at them and gripped Brackenfoot on the back. Yowling, Brackenfoot twisted over onto his back, causing the cat to tumble off. The cat came in with a front paw strike, landing the mark right on Brackenfoot's nose. Lionpaw jumped on the cat's back, her claws unsheathed. She shifted all her body weight to her right, causing him to roll onto his back. She jumped off and swiftly jumped back on, pinning his legs to the ground. Brackenfoot padded over angrily, his nose bleeding.

"Who are you and why are you trespassing on our territory!" He shouted. The brown cat just laid there, his breath rasping. "ANSWER ME!" He demanded.

"I am Swiftriver of RiverClan." He wheezed. "You have been stealing prey from us!"

"What!?!" Brackenfoot gasped. "That's ridiculous! If anyone's stealing food, it's you!" He looked over at Berrypaw, who was sitting motionless on the sidelines. "Berrypaw, go get Brightstar. She'll want to know about this." Berrypaw hurried off without a word.

wwwwww

"So, you think we are stealing your food?" Brightstar spat at Swiftriver. "I think it's the other way around. Ground pray is especially scarce and this is one of the least harsh leaf-bares ever!"

"You know very well that we wouldn't do that!" Swiftriver hissed. He started struggling, but Lionpaw held on tight. "This is one strong warrior you have here."

"Warrior! Ha!" Brightstar laughed. "This is an apprentice!"

"What!?!" Swiftriver mewed.

"We'll discuss this at the next gathering." She said. "Lionpaw, you can let go now."

"Finally!" Lionpaw hopped off the cat. "I was getting bored. Anyway, I better get this mouse back to Grassear before he gets worried." She clamped the mouse in her jaws and padded off calmly. Swiftriver got up and jumped into the river quickly, afraid that the giant apprentice would come back.


	5. Chapter 4

"I can't believe we don't get to go to the gathering and Coalpaw does!" Berrypaw spat on the mouse he was eating.

"We don't know that for sure yet." Lionpaw pointed out threw a mouthful of thrush. "We could be picked."

"But Brightstar already told Coalpaw!" Berrypaw remarked and took a bite of his mouse. He looked at her again. "Is it just me, or have you gotten bigger?"

"I don't know." Lionpaw stood up. "Let's go check at the ice sheet." The ice sheet was a large piece of ice that was leaning against the nursery. It was perfect for looking at your reflection. They padded over to the ice sheet. She stood in front of the ice sheet and stared. She was almost three times as tall as Berrypaw! "I have gotten bigger." She mewed. Her trance was brocket by a prod on the back.

"Lionpaw, Brightstar wants to see you and Berrypaw." Grassear reported. Lionpaw turned around.

"Why?" She asked.

Grassear nudged her just below the shoulder. She was too tall for him to reach. "You'll see." They got Berrypaw and went over to Brightstar's den in the side of the Highrock. "Permeation to enter?" Grassear meowed into the den.

"Come on in!" Brightstar mewed. The three cats padded in. Brightstar looked at Lionpaw. "Lionpaw, you fought bravely. That pinning technique was perfect. And you, Berrypaw," Her gazed drifted to Berrypaw, "coming to get me was the right thing to do. You fallowed your mentor's orders without question, even under pressure. Because of this, I have decided that you may come to the gathering."

Lionpaw and Berrypaw just gaped. "Really?" Berrypaw mewed.

"Yes, really. Come on, let's go to the gathering!" Brightstar turned tail and sprinted out the door, closely followed by the apprentices and the deputy.

wwwwww

Lionpaw crouched next to Berrypaw, looking attentively at Brightstar. The leader gave the signal with her tail, and everyone charged into the clearing. Fourtrees was crowded. Cats of all sizes and colors gathered in the clearing and were chatting like they were clan mates. She spotted the clan leaders sitting near the base of the great rock, talking about clan problems and bothersome apprentices. The apprentices were sitting farther out near the ShadowClan border. She padded over, and everyone looked up at him.

"What are you doing here?" Burningpaw, a bright red she-cat, spat.

"I-" Lionpaw stammered, but a brown tabby tom with strange folded ears interrupted him.

"We don't need you to look after us!" The cat hissed.

"But-" And once again, she was interrupted.

"Like we don't spend enough time around warriors already!" A light brown tabby she-cat named Featherpaw complained.

"But-" This time, she got interrupted by Dogpaw, a dark brown tabby tom.

"Get out of here!" He shouted.

"Let the cat speak, for StarClan's sake!" A tortoiseshell she cat, Mosspaw, spat at the rest of the apprentices.

Lionpaw took a deep breath. "I'm not a warrior." He meowed. "I'm just an apprentice!" Everyone just stared. They didn't believe him.

"Then why are you so big?" Dogpaw challenged him.

"Dryclaw says I have a growth problem. I'm Lionpaw. This is my first gathering!" He mewed. From the bushes nest to one of the trees, Coalpaw walked out, looking relieved. He slowly padded over to the group and sat down.

"Hey, Lionpaw." He yawned.

"So this is an apprentice?" Featherpaw asked.

"Yep." Coalpaw mewed calmly.

"Wow!" All the apprentices meowed at once.

"Lionpaw, how about you tell us about the time where the RiverClan warrior attacked you while you were on patrol." Coalpaw suggested.

"Great idea!" Lionpaw purred. "It all started while I was hunting..."


	6. Chapter 5

Dryclaw sat down next to Volewhisker. Whispertail was ending a story about the time where she ventured into Twolegplace to find some catnip and almost got run over by a monster.

"I have a real story." Dryclaw piped up.

"What is it this time?" Jaywing meowed, slightly annoyed.

"I got a prophecy!" She mewed under her breath. Everyone gasped.

"What did it say?" Volewhisker asked.

"Lion and tiger will give us a kit. She will find the berry and give life back to the clans." She repeated the exact words.

"What does it mean?" Whispertail wondered.

"No idea. I was wondering if any of you knew." She answered.

"I think I know part of it." Volewhisker meowed after a bit of thought.

"What?" They all asked at the same time.

"Well, you know about the war with BloodClan, when the clans were divided into LionClan and TigerClan?" She started. They all nodded. "Maybe a cat from WindClan or ThunderClan will mate with a cat from RiverClan or ShadowClan!"

"Yes, that sounds about right. But the berry part is still confusing." Jaywing mewed. She thought for a few seconds. "I know! Maybe the cat will be or is a medicine cat! And the giving life back to the forest could mean that with this berry she will cure an extremely fatal disease!"

"So, we think that a half clan cat will become a medicine cat and save the forest from a disease?" Dryclaw confirmed.

"Sounds about right." Whispertail meowed.

"Great. I'll tell Brightstar." Dryclaw mewed. "This could get ugly."

wwwwww

"Brightstar said I did such a great job, I got to go to the gathering! And that's how I got here." Lionpaw finished the story for the third time in a row. The apprentices had accepted the fact that they were talking to another apprentice that was a bigger than a full grown warrior. Then a loud meow from the Great Rock stopped the talking.

"Welcome to this moons gathering." Hawkstar, the RiverClan leader, began. "Bramblestar, would you like to start?"

"Thank you." Bramblestar stepped forward. "I would like to announce that one of our apprentices, Goldenpaw, has risen to the rank of warrior and will now be known as Goldenfire." A chorus of happy meows rose from the audience, including some chanting of the warrior's new name. "Brightstar, you may now speak." He stepped back. Brightstar stepped forward.

"I have both good news and bad news." She began. "The good news is that we have a new apprentice, Lionpaw!" The crowd began to cheer again. Lionpaw stood high and proud. "The bad news is that we have reason to believe that RiverClan is stealing our prey!" Loud gasps and roars of disapproval came up from the audience.

"That preposterous!" Swiftriver snorted. "If anything, you are stealing food from our clan!"

"Then why is our prey disappearing when this is the one of the warmest leaf-bares ever?" She pointed out. "And why is your clan so fat that they look like kittypets?" Everyone gasped.

"I- but- uh..." Hawkstar stammered. There was no fighting that logic. He just sat down and hung his head low. "I don't actually think you are stealing from our clan. Swiftriver must have thought one of our cats was ThunderClan. I'll deal with that later." He shot a harsh glance at Swiftriver, who crouched down and slid away from the crowd. "But I swear by StarClan we haven't been stealing prey from you."

Brightstar thought for a few seconds. She obviously believed everything he had said. "If you aren't stealing it, who is?"

"We will discuss this at the next gathering." Venomstar ended it. "I have nothing left to say." Everyone started departing to their own camps, drawing the gathering to a close.


	7. Chapter 6

"Permeation to enter?" Dryclaw meowed into Brightstar's den.

"Come on in!" Brightstar called. Dryclaw padded in to see Brightstar sharing tongues with her mate, Snowleaf. "What is it, Dryclaw? StarClan gave you a message that's telling you that a half-clan cat will become a medicine cat and save the four clans from an extremely contagious disease?"

"How'd you know?" Dryclaw mewed. Brightstar paused in the middle of a lick and put her head up.

"I actually have no idea." She admitted. "So, what were the exact words?"

"Lion and tiger will give us a kit. She will find the berry and give life back to the clans." She repeated.

"Well, whatever the cure is, it must be some kind of berry. Or," She thought out loud. It was a habit of hers. "Maybe Berrypaw will help." They both started laughing.

"You have a point." Dryclaw meowed. "I'll keep an eye on her."

"You do that. I have to get back to business." She purred as she looked dreamily at Snowleaf, who had started licking her again. Dryclaw quickly padded out of the den, leaving the two lovebirds alone.


	8. Chapter 7

"Are you sure this is safe?" Berrypaw mewed. He ducked as a branch that Lionpaw had pushed aside flew over his head.

"Of course it is!" Lionpaw reassured him. She had grown almost one and a half times the size of a normal warrior, and had given no sign of stopping there. "Besides, I need more food. I'm a big cat for my age and the apprentice portions aren't enough." They stopped a few mouse-lengths away from the Twoleg fence. They crouched down and sprung up on top of it. They looked off to behold dozens of Twoleg nests and small Thunderpaths.

"Wow." Berrypaw meowed in wonder. "It's amazing what Twolegs can do. I mean, look at all these nests!"

"I wonder how they make Thunderpaths." Lionpaw thought out loud. "They're huge, even compared to Twolegs! Come on, let's go." They hopped down and walked along the side of the Thunderpath. There were no Twolegs in sight. Berrypaw stopped. There was a strange noise coming from one of the nests. It was strange, yet wonderful. She sniffed, but all he smelled was the disgusting smell of the Thunderpath. The sound was beautiful. It was unlike any sound it the forest, not the wind rustling in the trees or birds chirping. This was a different kind of music. There was a Twoleg female yowling in the background, but even that sounded nice. There was a rhythm, a tempo.

"Do you hear that?" Berrypaw asked.

"No. Don't get distracted. We're here to hunt, and only to hunt." Lionpaw mewed. But it was too late. Berrypaw was already sprinting off towards the noise. It was coming from a Twoleg nest on their side of the Thunderpath. Berrypaw swiftly bounded up a tree next to an opening in the nest. He found a large branch close to the opening and saw a young Twoleg jumping up and down to the beat of the sound. The long bunch of blond fur she had was swaying around wildly. She held a strange stick with a large, oval top with spikes. Suddenly, the strangest sensation filled him. The yowling from the room started getting clearer. Slowly, more and more words were strangely being translated into cat speak in his head. Soon, she could understand every word the sound was making. He listened more closely, and this is what he heard.

I believed in you

You never believed in me

I saw things in you

But now I see differently

Now I see

There's a jerk, there's a brat

Yet I'm thankful

Because now, thanks to you, I am finally

Runnin' Free

It was beautiful. Berrypaw was stunned. He didn't even find it a mouse-brained idea that he was understanding Twoleg speak. His head started to bob to the music. Soon, the chorus came up again, and Berrypaw just couldn't resist.

"Now I see, there's a jerk, there's a brat, yet I'm thankful..." He closed his eyes and started singing in cat speak. The Twoleg turned around suddenly. She ran over and opened the window. "Because now, thanks to you, I am finally Runnin' Free..." He continued, not even noticing the ice blue eyes staring at him.

The Twoleg kept staring. She moved her head closer to Berrypaw. Berrypaw open his eyes. "Do you like that song?" She asked.

"Meow!" Berrypaw took a step back. But then he answered. "Yes." He mewed.

"Wow. I can understand you." The girl looked side to side with shifty eyes, as if she was looking for someone else talking. "This is... awkward."

"Tell me about it!" Berrypaw replied. "I came here to hunt some pigeons, and no here I am, talking to a Twoleg."

"Oh, so that's what cats call us. Twolegs." She nodded her head. She reached out and started patting him on the head. "I like you. What's your name?"

"I'm Berrypaw. Who are you?" He purred. The patting felt wonderful. No wonder kittypets liked Twolegs so much.

"I'm Natalie." She answered. "Where are you from?"

"The forest," He mewed.

"Oh, so you're a feral cat. No wonder you look so beat up." She said. "Do you live alone or with other cats?" She picked Berrypaw up and put him on the windowsill. He didn't mind.

"Other cats." He answered. "There are four clans in the forest. There's ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan and WindClan. I'm from ThunderClan."

"Wow. That's a lot of cats." She giggled. "You better get back to your friends. They'll be worried sick."

"They probably already are." He jumped back to the branch. "Goodbye."

"Bye!" Natalie shouted as Berrypaw climbed down the tree. "And for the record, we're called humans!"

wwwwww

"Where have you two been?" Grassear asked the apprentices angrily. "You know better than to sneak out of camp without promotion!"

"Sorry Grassear." They chanted. "We won't do it again."

"You should be sorry. If we catch you sneaking out again..." He grumbled as he walked away. Lionpaw and Berrypaw looked at each other.

"Where were you anyway?" Lionpaw asked Berrypaw.

"Um, I was distracted by a butterfly when I came across a really fat pigeon. I crouched down to get it, and I did. Then when I was dragging it across the Thunderpath, a monster came. I dropped my heavy load and ran for the other side, and I made it unharmed. As for the pigeon, it wasn't so lucky." He explained. He felt bad about lying to his best friend.

"Oh, that's too bad. Whatever." She lay down in her undersized bed in the apprentice den. She put her head on the hard ground. "Goodnight."

Berrypaw lay down in his bed too. "Goodnight."

(Note: For the record, I wrote those song lyrics. But I havn't copyrighted them or anything.)


	9. Chapter 8

"Wake up!" Grassear nudged his oversized apprentice on the head. Lionpaw opened his eyes. It was dawn, and the den had filled with the scent of Newleaf. "It's time for the dawn patrol!"

Lionpaw leaped to his feet. "Great! I'll be ready in a second." She answered. Grassear told him that he would be waiting at the entrance to the den. As he walked out of the den, Lionpaw started grooming himself. Soon he padded out into the clearing.

A few warriors were awaking and sharing tongues. "Did you hear about the badger?" Spottedfeather meowed to Willowfire.

"Yes, I saw it." Willowfire mewed. "It was near the Great Sycamore."

Lionpaw just walked by. He reached the entrance to camp, where Grassear and Snowleaf were waiting for him. Silently, they trekked towards the ShadowClan border. Soon they had past snake rocks, and Lionpaw noticed that she was hungry.

"I'll be right back. I smell pray, and I'm hungry." She mewed.

"Alright, go catch something." Snowleaf meowed to the large apprentice. "We'll go after you if you're gone to long. They say that a huge badger in on the loose!"

Lionpaw was already out of earshot. She shot to the Great Sycamore. She stopped and looked around. And there it was, the biggest mouse he had ever seen. It was almost as big as two warriors standing on top of each other! But she was bigger. She crouched down into a hunting position and slowly creped up behind it. Soon when he was only a tail length away, he pounced. The giant black-and-white mouse screeched and tried to get away, but Lionpaw was holding on tight. With one swift stroke, she knocked the wind out of it with one paw, and then gave the killing bite to its neck. The kill was quick and painless. The mouse had a lot of fur, and when Lionpaw opened its mouth, a lot of sharp teeth.

"Something tells me that wasn't a mouse." Lionpaw thought out loud. "Whatever! Food is food."

"Lionpaw!" Grassear shouted. She had been gone for a long time now, and they were worried. Especially about the fact that she was heading in the direction on the Great Sycamore. That's where the badger was! "Lionpaw!" He called again.

Soon he came across the Great Sycamore. There was Lionpaw, unharmed. She was sitting over a gigantic badger, feasting on one of its legs. Grassear stood there, rigid and gaping. Lionpaw looked up from her meal, her face stained with badger blood. "Did you want some?"


	10. Chapter 9

Berrypaw sprinted into the clearing on Brightstar's signal and headed for the apprentices. It was time for the gathering, and ThunderClan was kind of late. He and Lionpaw sat down with the other apprentices. Horsepaw was telling the story about when he warned the clan of a badger that they still hadn't gotten rid of yet.

"You know," Berrypaw remarked, "there's a badger in ThunderClan territory too."

"There have been sightings of badger in WindClan in three different places!" Featherpaw piped up.

"We've seen them in RiverClan too!" Mosspaw mewed in alarm.

"I've never seen a badger." Lionpaw meowed. "What does it look like?"

"It's huge!" Dogpaw exclaimed.

"With gigantic teeth and claws!" Burningpaw added.

"And it's black and white." Runningpaw finished. "With a long snout."

"Why does that sound familiar?" Lionpaw looked at Berrypaw to see if he had the answer. He just looked back at him, confused. They heard a loud meow from the top of the Great rock. Venomstar was standing there along with the other clan leaders.

"May I start?" He asked.

"Of course you may." Hawkstar answered as she took a step back.

"Cats of all clans," Venomstar announced. "I have an important announcement. We have spotted badgers in our territory. They have been found in four different places, and their smells were slightly different. We must take action about this."

"Excuse me," Bramblestar took a step forward. "May I interrupt?"

"Certainly." Venomstar took his place next to the other intently listening leaders.

"There are badgers in our territory too!" She mewed. "Three of them, all in different parts of our territory. They have already taken two of our kits."

"The same with us." Brightstar interrupted. "Except that they have not taken any of our kits. Plus we have killed one."

"What fine warrior has done this?" Venomstar asked.

"It wasn't a warrior." Brightstar purred.

"Then you must have slain it yourself, right?" Hawkstar guessed.

"I wasn't finished. It wasn't a warrior. It was an apprentice." She looked over at the apprentice group. Everyone looked confused.

"You must be joking!" Bramblestar exclaimed. "Very funny."

"No, I think she's serious." Venomstar mewed. "And which apprentice was this?"

"Our very own," Brightstar took a deep breath, "Lionpaw." Everyone looked immediately at Lionpaw. Lionpaw jumped.

"That was a badger!?!" She shouted. "I thought it was a big mouse!" Everyone started laughing.

"Whoa." All the apprentices mewed in awe.

"According to Grassear," Brightstar went on, "she killed it like it was a mouse."

"That's because I thought it was a mouse!" Lionpaw piped up.

"However you did it," Venomstar meowed, "you killed a badger as an apprentice. Do you think that maybe you might be able to visit ShadowClan and I don't know, kill our badgers?"

"Or maybe RiverClan?" Hawkstar suggested hopefully.

"Or how about WindClan?" Bramblestar mewed. Soon, the whole crowd of cats was asking her to kill off their badgers. The ThunderClan cats were either telling her to do it or not to do it. Berrypaw was in awe. Lionpaw was getting popular with all the clan cats fast. Lionpaw climbed up on top of the Great rock and padded over to Brightstar.

"What should I do, Brightstar?" She timidly asked. "Should I take the offers, or turn them down? I'm really confused!"

"I say you should take the offer, but it's your choice." Brightstar meowed. She got closer and whispered, "This is your time to shine, Lionpaw. You could save the forest from a badger infestation. It's time to see if your really warrior material."

Lionpaw walked up to the edge of Great rock, and everyone silenced. "I have decided. I will get rid of these badgers once and for all." The crowd cheered. She looked down at them. "On one condition." The crowd silenced again, bracing themselves for the roar of disapproval when she said that she wanted hunting rights on their territory for her clan.

"I get to keep the dead badger." She finished. The crowd sighed in relief.

"That sound fair enough." Hawkstar purred. "She's the one who's going to kill them, she should keep it."

"Besides, what use would a dead badger be?" Venomstar pointed out.

"It's settled then." Bramblestar decided. "You will be granted entrance to our territory until all the badgers are gone. We will keep an eye on you when you enter our territory, and will be forbidden to hunt there, except for badgers. You keep whatever

badgers you kill. Do all the clan leaders, and Lionpaw, agree to this?" Everyone nodded.

"It's settled than." Hawkstar purred. "Let's get on with the gathering."


	11. Chapter 10

(Sorry I havn't posted in so long, with the Christmas rush and all. Enjoy!)

"I can't believe this!" Lionpaw exclaimed to Berrypaw. They were heading for ShadowClan territory for her first badger hunt. She had convinced Grassear to let Berrypaw come along for the ride. "If I do this, I'll be a hero!"

"Um, do you mind if I go off, you know, to do something?" Berrypaw asked.

"Sure, go ahead." Lionpaw mewed. "But next time, if you decide to join me, I'll protect you from the badger."

"Okay, see you later." Berrypaw ran off, leaving Lionpaw alone near the Thunderpath tunnel into ShadowClan territory. She took a deep breath and walked into the tunnel. It was dark, cold and damp. The melting snow had turned the dirt under her feet into mud and slush. Her body mass took up the width of the entire tunnel, and she still felt squished. On the other side, it was marshy and damp. She was surprised how ShadowClan cats could find any prey there. Out from behind some bracken came a small patrol of cats. One was white with large black spots; the other was a white tom with black stripes. She had never seen them at the last gathering. Horsepaw was there too.

"What are you doing on our territory?" The spotted one hissed.

"Now that's what I'd like to know!" The striped one spat.

"Um, I don't think we've met." Lionpaw stammered. "I'm Lionpaw. I have permeation to be here."

"Yeah right!" The spotted one smirked. "ThunderClan scum."

"Cowpelt, she's telling the truth!" Horsepaw prodded at the spotted tom, "She has a right to be here! Venomstar said so at the gathering!"

"Which we had to miss because of those rat bites," The striped one grumbled under his breath. Cowpelt shot him a sharp glace.

"Snakestripe, stop complaining!" Cowpelt growled. "It was your idea to go hunting in Carrionplace in the first place!"

"Yeah, blame it all on me, why don't you." Snakestripe mumbled in annoyance. This time Cowpelt ignored him.

"Well, let's take you to Venomstar, just in case." Cowpelt flicked his tail and turned around. Horsepaw and Snakestripe followed, Lionpaw padding along close behind.


End file.
